Sculpture Garden and Gallery Cafe.
A cafe and an art prize are two of the exciting new developments for Purple Noon Gallery in 2011.
THE ART PRIZE PROJECT
The Hawkesbury Art Prize applies business and economic concepts through an entrepreneurial approach to secure money from large private enterprises and channels it through a project that gives back to the local community by way of educational scholarship to a young, talented and creative member of the community. This innovative and not for profit project has wide community support and aims to bring a larger art prize to western Sydney and attract high profile artists to enter this competition in order to raise the profile of art in the region, give local artists a stage closer to home, and increase cultural development in the area.
A sponsor has been secured who has absolute confidence in the project, and is willing to donate the $10,000 first prize this year, and then each year if the project is successful, making the Hawkesbury Art Prize a sustainable annual community event. The profit for the project will be generated from the entry fee of $35 and the event will be widely publicized throughout the country. A minimum of 100 entries is expected, but could go as high as 500 this year. Discussions with other businesses in the area are still underway for ancillary prizes. Around 50 finalists work will be exhibited for sale which will also generate more income for the project.
There are three high profile judges: a University art curator, the principal of one of Australia’s most well known art schools, and a well known, award winning, established, practicing artist. The judging and event will take place in November this year. All preliminary advertising and press releases are under way. The project aims to foster cultural creativity in the region and will be promoted throughout the country through art magazines, societies, universities and businesses, promoting a vision for an annual cultural event for western Sydney, akin to those already highly successful and established art prizes in the Sydney metropolitan area.
